Cloning

Cloning a child would produce a genetic duplicate of a person. The two people would not be parent and child, siblings or twins but a new type of person: a clone. Cloning is a form of asexual reproduction. The technique of cloning has not been perfected. As a senator and a person in the public eye, my views will be examined closely, however my reasons against cloning are both factual and of sound logic. Cloning has not been proven to be a safe process, it erases individuality and unique qualities and it promotes the idea that people can be manufactured like objects to possess certain qualities like designer wear or special edition cars. There have been many great advancements in the medical field; however, cloning has not yet been proven to be a safe process. Technology is not well developed. It has a low fertility rate. A great example of this is the Dolly Experiment. "In cloning Dolly, 277 eggs were used, 30 started to divide, nine induced pregnancy, and only one survived to term" (Nash, J. Madeliene). There are risks of cloning inherited defects. If an individual has a genetic disease, deformity or abnormality this would be passed on to the clone. Not all diseases, deformities, and abnormalities are inherited through normal reproduction and many such traits skip generations. In cloning, human beings are identical and would therefore be at risk for the same disease, germs or viruses. If the population was infected it would be disastrous. Clones would all have the same genes because they would be identical copies. This lack of diversity would weaken the human race because it limits our ability to adapt. This could eventually lead to our extinction. Although cloning could duplicate good healthy genes it will also diminish the unique qualities and what some may see as an imperfection. Traits like these make us each unique and individual. Human cloning copies identical genes which will decrease the diversity in the gene pool. This will take away expectancy and surprise in the arrival of human life as everything will become predictable. The basic concept of a family starts with two people falling in love and having children. In a family where the children are cloned they might favor the children according to how much they are like themselves, and undermine the fact that the children are loved for their unique qualities and individuality. It is the diversity in the human race that drives evolution and allows us to adapt to new things. If everyone was the same we would not adapt and we would not see new changes. If the same great athlete or super model was cloned we would never see new talent. Cloning the perfect person promotes the idea that we can manufacture people like objects.

People should not be produced like designer wear or special edition cars. Human cloning might be used by companies for financial gain selling embryos with specific traits as high end or more prestigious clones. Wealthy families could afford the best clones whereas poorer families would have less than perfect or damaged embryos to clone. Abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, for example, risk reducing the human person to a mere object: life and death to order, as it were! (Pope John Paul II, speech, Jan. 13, 2003). People are not things to be manufactured like cars with and without specific options or traits. Mass producing people would lessen the value of life. If a clone was killed in an accident we could simply just order another. Humans invented machines for mass production of objects; we should not become one of these objects on the production line. In conclusion, cloning is dangerous, it eliminates unique qualities and promotes the concept of mass producing the perfect race. Although science is responsible for much wonderful progress, the science of cloning has not been perfected. "We can't allow science to undo its own good work." (Brave New World. World Controller Mustapha Mond, Chapter 17, pg. 227.) A trial and error method of fine tuning this technique could be devastating to the human race. Our differences and often imperfections drive us to try harder, recognize our own unique qualities and adapt to new things. Diversity is often strength not weakness. Every individual is special in their own right. History has shown that the concept of an elite race proved devastating. Reproduction should be left to Mother Nature not the production line.